Office of AIDS Research and National Institute on Aging Launch Collaboration
The Office of AIDS Research and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) are collaborating to help increase understanding of the neurological processes contributing to dementia in older adults, including those with HIV. In September 2018, OAR and NIA announced awards for cross-disciplinary projects that will study the similarities and differences between the mental and physical declines seen in Alzheimer’s disease and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Few studies have looked at the relationship between neurodegenerative processes in HIV and Alzheimer’s disease in the era of antiretroviral therapies (ART). As the population of people with HIV ages due to the availability of ART, HAND is expected to become more widespread.
Newly funded research will explore how Alzheimer’s-related conditions may cause HAND in older adults and examine the relationship between physical and mental declines; the impact on overall disease processes; and mental health. Annual workshops will bring project investigators together to discuss the initiative’s progress and contribute to the development of a core of researchers from different disciplines.
The following institutions are funded to conduct research under this funding opportunity:
| Project | Institution |
|---|---|
| Role of Gut Microbial Dysbiosis and Aging on HIV-Associated Neurocognitive and Brain Dysfunction | University of Louisville University of Florida |
| Comparative Study of Molecular Signatures in HIV-Related Neuropathogenesis and Alzheimer’s Disease | University of California, San Diego |
| Defining the Cell-Specific Epigenetic Landscape Leading to Altered Gene Expression Signatures in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder | University of California, San Diego |
| HIV Modulation of BAG3 Impacting Quality Control of Tau in Neuronal Cells | Temple University of the Commonwealth |
| Immune Mechanism Underlying Age-Related Neurodegeneration in HIV Infection | University of California, Davis |
| Disentangling Alzheimer’s Disease and HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Identifying unique neuropsychological profiles with distinct biomarker and neuropathological signatures | University of California, San Diego |
| Age-Related Tauopathy in HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
| Misfolded Protein Aggregates in HIV Infection | University of Texas |
This page last reviewed on June 8, 2020